Verizon changing smartphone rebate plan -- by getting rid of them

Some interesting news out of Verizon this morning -- there's going to be a significant shift in how rebates are handled. As you can see above, smartphones that have a net price of $150 or higher will have no rebates. Smartphones with a net price of $149.99 will have $50 rebates.

Now before anybody freaks out, we're told all that means is that it'll be treated more like an instant rebate. The up-front cost of the phone will still be cheaper, but the overall price of the phone won't really change.